Chronic Asthmatic moving to Riyadh? - wise move?

lysaty wrote:

Hi all,

I was hoping someone could help me please.

My husband has been offered a job in Riyadh and we are considering moving over there with our two children from Ireland.
I am a chronic asthmatic and am on a lot of medication, nebuliser etc. and have had a good few hospital stays the past few years because of it.

I know the damp air here in Ireland does not do me any favours.

I was wondering two things:
1. Do you think the dust in Riyadh is bad? Do you know any asthmatics living there who get by ok?
2. Is it possible to bring a year's supply of my medication with me or will it get confiscated?

Thank you.

Dust in Riyadh is common, and this dust is composed primarily of Sand as the city is surrounded by desert.
I don't know if asthma can get activated due to sand dust, but I have seen people sneezing frequently due to allergy from Sand.

My personal advise to you is to get the Weather and environmental data of Riyadh from Google/Internet etc and show it your local physician and seek advise for the medication and prevention.

Good luck and may everything go in favor of your health in order to have a nice stay in Riyadh.

Cheers.

This same topic was addressed recently.  You'll find the discussion HERE.

Best of luck.

Many, many thanks to you both for taking the time to reply to me. I really appreciate it.

I am also a chronic asthmatic, but will be moving to Jeddah. In my previous moves from rain Oregon, USA to Las Vegas, NV. I actually had 2+ really good years with my asthma and allergies as it was a new environment. Actually cut out all meds for a time. I am hoping the same happens on this move & you may find it happens for you as well.

Many thanks for your comment.
Could I ask you, do you have allergic asthma?
I am allergic to grass, pollen, dust mite and aspergillus and these allergies seem to trigger my asthma. So for that reason I am hoping the dry air of Saudi Arabia might work in my favour. It's the sandstorms I am worried about but I guess I could bring dust masks for the days when there are sand storms and I need to go out and about?

lysaty wrote:

Many thanks for your comment.
Could I ask you, do you have allergic asthma?
I am allergic to grass, pollen, dust mite and aspergillus and these allergies seem to trigger my asthma. So for that reason I am hoping the dry air of Saudi Arabia might work in my favour. It's the sandstorms I am worried about but I guess I could bring dust masks for the days when there are sand storms and I need to go out and about?

There aren't that many sand storms, per se.  But as I said in my reply to stressedmom,, the sky in Riyadh is usually a shade of light tan due to dust in the air--not a storm but sand just always floating around.

In fact, after a rain the roads and sidewalks are dirty because the rain has cleaned the air and brought down what is normally floating around unseen to the eye.

How this level of pollution affects somebody with asthma, I don't know, but I wish you both luck.  My thought is that with the proper precautions, you'll be okay

My asthma now is allergy related or whenever I get seriously sick. It used to be exercise induced. Since we also have a lot of smog I am not sure how much is the dust (we are in a big bowl & usually always get smoke from the wildfires in California as well). Typically if the  dust is just floating it doesn't bother me as much. It is when the wind picks up or there is a lot of pollen in the air that I have issues.
Make sure you have a copy of your prescription with your medicines or they will take it away. I am probably only coming with a month or 2 supply of inhalers as I am hoping the equivalent medicines in KSA are cheaper than they are here in the U.S.

stressedmom wrote:

Make sure you have a copy of your prescription with your medicines or they will take it away.

True but don't worry about this. I've been in/out of country a dozen times and nobody has even bothered to look in my handbag, no less my luggage lol

lysaty wrote:

Many thanks for your comment.
Could I ask you, do you have allergic asthma?
I am allergic to grass, pollen, dust mite and aspergillus and these allergies seem to trigger my asthma. So for that reason I am hoping the dry air of Saudi Arabia might work in my favour. It's the sandstorms I am worried about but I guess I could bring dust masks for the days when there are sand storms and I need to go out and about?

-They do sell masks here
-You will probably find the same meds here, or check with a doctor here to prescribe similar meds

    my brother has asthma, and we found it was ok for him as long as he stays indoors and wears a mask when needed. I don't know if you two have the same triggers.

stressedmom wrote:

I am also a chronic asthmatic, but will be moving to Jeddah. In my previous moves from rain Oregon, USA to Las Vegas, NV. I actually had 2+ really good years with my asthma and allergies as it was a new environment. Actually cut out all meds for a time. I am hoping the same happens on this move & you may find it happens for you as well.

Jeddah is very humid during the summer for your information because it is on the red sea coast. Riyadh is the dry one.

Hi,

I moved to Riyadh in December from rainy England. I've been asthmatic all my life and it's a mix of allergy and it gets worse with stress.

In general I've found my asthma has been much better here - better weather, food and lifestyle.

I've had one asthma attack here which landed me in hospital and that was because of a mix of thunderstorm/sandstorm/stress. When I went to hospital the medical care was much better than home - I had an injection, nebuliser, new inhaler and anti-histamines and a full check-up. The medical care with insurance at a clinic is very good here - they are much faster than in the UK.

I wouldn't worry too much about standard medicines - they are very easy to get here.

If you have any questions - let me know :-)

Thanks so much guys! You have really put my mind at ease! 😃

i am in love wid ALLIECAT she is very helping

Hi there,

as some others mentioned Riyadh does have the occasional sandstorm but it is really sand and neither dust from dustmites nor anything chemical.
I usually have severe hayfever and allergy to dustwhen in Europe but am fine in Riyadh  EXCEPT WHEN INDOORS WITH THE AC SYSTEM ON. you need to make sure your ac system has its filters cleaned as in many hotels they don't bother and the ac is blowing in housedust and  pollen etc.but this can be esily managed.
as long as  u have a  letter from your doc confirming that whatever medication u bring in is necessary there should be no problem; but usually nobody will bother you.
I would suggest u bring one month medication with you and compare prices,usually they are cheaper here than in Ireland and in most pharmacies u can get all prescription.
Equipment wise and mediciationwise Saudi is way ahead of Ireland but sometimes the doctor treating you may not have the proper training/experience, but if u go to a state clinic u get better qualified doctors. Unlike Ireland private hospitals here attract less qualified staff as they pay less than government clinics.

Good luck with your move